Recent opioid use and fall-related injury among older patients with trauma

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Evidence for an associa- and 2014. We looked at opioid prescrip-who had had an injury through another tion between opioid use and risk of falls or tions filled in the 2 weeks preceding the mechanism. After we controlled for con-fractures in older adults is inconsistent. We trauma in patients who sustained a fall, founding variables, patients who had examine the association between recent compared with those who sustained an filled an opioid prescription within opioid use and the risk, as well as the clin-injury through another mechanism. 2 weeks before injury were 2.4 times ical outcomes, of fall-related injuries in a more likely to have a fall rather than any large trauma population of older adults. RESULTS: A total of 67929 patients were other type of injury. For patients who had retained for analysis. Mean age was a fall-related injury, those who used opi-METHODS: In a retrospective, observa-80.9 (± 8.0) years and 69% were women. oids were at increased risk of in-hospital tional, multicentre cohort study con-The percentage of patients who had filled death (odds ratio 1.58; 95% CI 1.34–1.86). ducted on registry data, we included all an opioid prescription in the 2 weeks pre-patients aged 65 years and older who ceding an injury was 4.9% (95% confi-INTERPRETATION: Recent opioid use is were admitted (hospital stay > 2 d) for dence interval [CI] 4.7%–5.1%) for associated with an increased risk of fall injury in 57 trauma centres in the prov-patients who had had a fall, compared and an increased likelihood of death in ince of Quebec, Canada, between 2004 with 1.5% (95% CI 1.2%–1.8%) for those older adults.